Facing landmine threat, IDPs in Minbya Twsp struggle to make ends meet 

By Admin 25 Aug 2024

DMG Newsroom
25 August 2024, Minbya

About 25,000 internally displaced people (IDPs) in Minbya Township, Arakan State, are in need of food and medicine and due to livelihood hardships they have to forage for bamboo shoots and vegetables in the forests where landmines are planted.

The IDPs rely on the forests to make a living but they are worried about the threats of landmines planted by the military during the fighting, said an IDP woman taking refuge in Minphu Village.

“We are worried about the risks of landmines planted by the military in the forests because we earn a living by selling bamboo shoots and KatatU [a type of Chinese yam]. Since luck is not always good, we have to be very careful when we go to the jungles,” the IDP woman added.

In addition to the IDPs who are unable to work because of the junta blockades in Arakan State, there are also local people who venture into the forest in search of sustenance despite the danger of landmines.

People displaced by fighting in some townships in Arakan State are taking shelter in Pyarchaung, Sunye, Minphu and Kyaungshae villages in Minbya Township.

Due to the scarcity of jobs, most IDPs make a living as odd-job workers by fishing, collecting vegetables, and selling betel quids and Rakhine Monti.

“IDPs in Minbya Township received few relief supplies. This is the reason why they make a living as odd-job workers,” said a social worker in Minbya Township.

Some people have stopped farming because they are worried about the risk of landmines, and they too are facing livelihood problems.

A local man from Pharpyo Village, Minbya Township, was reportedly killed in a landmine explosion on July 7. Maung Hsan Thein, 26, stepped on the landmine on July 7 while he was cutting down firewood on mountainous terrain near the village.

As the regime has blocked off land and water routes to Arakan State, there is a shortage of goods and the prices have risen exponentially, and locals are suffering from the food crisis.

“If you want to see a doctor, you need money. Even if you are sick, it is hard to find medicine and it is expensive,” said an IDP from Pyarchaung Village.

The Arakkha Army (AA) seized control of Minbya Town on February 6, but most residents are not allowed to enter the town due to the risk of junta airstrikes.

Hundreds of thousands of people in Arakan State have been displaced since fighting between the AA and Myanmar’s military regime resumed in November of last year, with many in need of food, medicines and shelter.